Old Guard

The Old Guard, sometimes known as the Old Hands,[1] was not a specific list of people. The term was applied to soldiers who had served in the time of Emperor Kellanved, and were loyal to him and his memory. They were especially distrusted by the Empress. As such, the vast majority of them had either been killed or gone "missing" over the years since Laseen came to power. While the vast majority of them were loyal to the empire, they were still met with a degree of mistrust even though they were essential to the empire's survival.

The Old Guard's roots could be traced back to the founding of the Empire, when Kellanved and Dancer first began recruiting people to fight with them in Malaz City. The original members would become known as Kellanved's family.[2]